Aviation officials probing the charred wreckage of a Taiwanese jet said Tuesday they were investigating the possibility a fuel leak led to the fire that forced all 165 people aboard to flee the aircraft after it landed.

Passengers used emergency slides to evacuate a China Airlines jet just minutes before the plane burst into a fireball Monday on the tarmac. All 165 people aboard escaped unhurt, including the pilot, who jumped from the cockpit at the last second.

Passengers used emergency slides to evacuate a China Airlines jet just minutes before the plane burst into a fireball Monday on the tarmac. All 165 people aboard escaped unhurt, including the pilot, who jumped from the cockpit at the last second.

Europe's first mission to the moon is due to crash-land in a cloud of dust and rock Sunday, ending a three-year voyage that gathered data about the lunar surface and tested a new engine intended to propel future spacecraft to Mercury and other planets.

The French government plans to merge Airbus parent EADS (EADSF) with Thales (THLEF), the country's largest defense company, to create a new European giant to rival Boeing (BA), a leading financial daily reported Friday.

France will "fight on all fronts" to revive economic growth while cutting its deficit and debt by selling gold, parts of state-owned firms and freezing state spending, Finance Minister Nicolas Sarkozy announced Tuesday.